• Press Release

EMILYs List Statement on Reports of Forced Hysterectomies

September 18, 2020

For Immediate Release
September 18, 2020

EMILY's List Statement on Reports of Forced Hysterectomies

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to reports from a whistleblower of forced hysterectomies of women being held in an ICE detention center, EMILY's List President Stephanie Schriock released the following statement:

“These allegations are shocking and grotesque. They should be investigated immediately and thoroughly. This is all part of a centuries-long effort to control the bodies of Black and Brown women. It's white supremacy in action. It's an issue of reproductive freedom, choice, and fundamental rights. Every woman should get to make her own health care decisions, particularly about her reproductive health, and we must fight efforts to undermine that right every time.”

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $600 million to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 150 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and nearly 1,100 women to state and local office. Nearly 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. During the historic 2017-2018 cycle, EMILYs List raised a record-breaking $110 million and launched a record independent expenditure campaign. We helped elect 34 new women to the House, including 24 red-to-blue victories; enough seats to have delivered the U.S. House majority alone. Since the 2016 election, more than 55,000 women have reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state, and national offices.